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Salinity Province 115, Telopea Downs

Thumbnail image showing the location of the Telopea Downs Salinity Province in VictoriaThe large Telopea Downs Salinity Province is located on the South Australian border and comprises an arid landscape where naturally high salinity levels have accumulated over thousands of years. Key landform features include Quaternary linear sand dunes and sand plains in the northern half and older Tertiary aged Parilla Sand plains in the southern half, which is where most of the region’s cropping occurs.

A regional scale Groundwater Flow System (GFS) in marine and alluvial sediments underlies the area however; dryland salinity is mostly associated with the local and intermediate scale GFSs of the overlying aeolian dunes and ridges. These feed groundwater into poorly drained inter-dune swales and depression areas where sodic soils and seasonal waterlogging combine to leave saline soils and occasional evaporate deposits.

Farming best practices should aim to avoid the disturbance of, and protect, known waterlogged and saline sodic soil areas. In addition, concentrating farming effort on adjacent up-slope soils with increased perennial pastures and native re-vegetation would reduce recharge during wet periods.



Province Attributes

Catchment Management Region:WIMMERA
Priority Status:High
Province Area:234,920 ha
Recorded Soil Salinity Area 1:798 ha
Dominant Surface Geology Type:Sedimentary
Influence of Geological Structure on Salinity Occurrence/s:None
Relevant Geomorphological Mapping Units (GMUs):5.2.X, 5.5.1
Predominant Groundwater Flow Systems(GFSs):Local, Intermediate & Regional
Relevant Irrigation Areas:N/A


Telopea Downs Salinity Province Map

A detailed map showing the Telopea Downs Salinity Province


Links to further reading and material related to the Wimmera Salinity Province
For further information relating to groundwater levels and salinities in this Province please see: Visualising Victoria's Groundwater (VVG)



1 Please Note: The ‘Recorded Soil Salinity Area’ indicated in the Salinity Province Attribute Table, comprises the total geographic area that has been mapped as having, or showing symptoms of, dryland soil salinity at some time (past or present). As dryland salinity occurrence in the Victorian landscape exhibits many different levels of severity and can change due to climate, landuse and vegetation, previously mapped areas may no longer be showing symptoms. In addition, as not all parts of the State have been mapped, or mapped in the same way, the mapping may not have captured some occurrences.

The soil salinity mapping used to calculate this ‘area’ does not cover irrigation regions. In irrigation regions, depth to watertable and watertable salinity mapping has been used to convey the threat of high watertables on soil waterlogging and/or soil salinisation and these areas are not included in this ‘area‘ calculation.

Please contact the Department, your Catchment Management Authority or your rural water provider for more information about salinity in your location.
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